Album survivor - Fates Warning - Awaken the Guardian

[Vilden]

Hay!

Well, I thought it was time to do some album survivor games again and Awaken the Guardian is an awsome place to start.

The rules are: pick the two weakest songs on the album which you think should be voted out. When the polls are closed (I put the clock on 3 days now, well see if we need that long) the two songs with the most votes are voted out and round 2 begins with the songs that are left, and then round 3, etc. etc.

If it goes well maybe we can do The Spectre Within afterwards!!

Feel free to comment in the thread too, otherwise it will be pretty boring.

Personally I have to think this over abit so I will wait with my voting for now.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

Hah, I was actually thinking about doing this (I would've done TSW first, just for chronology's sake) but you beat me to it. I voted for The Sorceress and Time Long Past. The opener is clearly the weakest track for me, whereas Time Long Past I picked basically just because it's an interlude.

EDIT: Actually, on relisten, I think I like The Sorceress more than Valley of the Dolls.

 

[Vilden]

Yeah I guess Time long Past is kind of a freebie the first round but I included it for completion.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Time Lost Past and Exodus. At one point Exodus might have been my Fates Warning song, but the more I listen to it the more I realize it's more long than it is "epic" (in the sense that other metal epics are usually multi-sectioned and dynamic). It's basically the first "Hey look at all the time signature changes, aren't we progressive?" metal song. I'd still give it a 7/10 and the chorus is awesome but it's a great example of why I think Awaken the Guardian is far inferior to The Spectre Within.

 

[Phylactery]

This should be fun. I'll have to listen to it a few times before I decide on my votes.

 

[Slayed Necros]

After Time Long Past it gets tough. I went with Giant's Lore. The first half of the album is definitely my favourite.

 

[Vilden]

I agree, I know which song I would pick as the winner but the lowest points on the album are still so fucking high that it is hard to vote something out (that's why I choose this album). After Time Long Past I probably also go with Giant's Lore for now, guess It also could be Valley of the Dolls or Prelude to Ruin. Wouldn't suprise me if I change my mind before The voting closes.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Giant's Lore is probably the best on the album, homos.

 

[CiG]

"Valley Of The Dolls" is quite generic compared to the rest of the album. Easy choice for me.

 

[Vegard Pompey]

My appreciation of any given Fates song depends a lot on whether I can form any kind of connection to the lyrics especially since Arch delivers them so emphatically. And to be honest, some of their songs I just can't make any fucking sense of. I guess Valley of the Dolls is based on a book I haven't read which doesn't really help.

 

[no country for old wainds]

valley of the dolls for me also. glad someone's doing these again!

 

[Vegard Pompey]

Can't believe two heartless bastards voted for Guardian already.

 

[no country for old wainds]

i also notice neither of manic ferocity's votes were for time long past lol

 

[Omni]

I've always felt that The Spectre Within was the best Fates Warning album. I changed my votes on this one several times and now I am happy with them.

 

[no country for old wainds]

'kin giant's lore votes. i'm not exactly surprised, but it doesn't even enter the conversation for me yet.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Ja, it's basically their try at doom metal and might be my very favorite of theirs in terms of matching lyrics and delivery, how it goes from one of their softest songs to then the massive heaviness of If he awakens / he will crush them in the earth is just perfect.

EDIT: Actually I take that back, The Apparition (bridge section) and basically everything in Epitaph still probably narrowly beat it on the image-conveying front, but still.

 

[Manic Ferocity]

I honestly chose the two songs that don't stick out as much as the others. Awaken the Guardian is a perfect album.

 

[HamburgerBoy]

Yeah I'm going to play this game strategically just because

 

[no country for old wainds]

I honestly chose the two songs that don't stick out as much as the others. Awaken the Guardian is a perfect album.

fair enough, it is rather lovely as interludes go.

 

[no country for old wainds]

Can't believe two heartless bastards voted for Guardian already.

you are an influential man, it seems.